8 November 2012
Immigration Alert: Changes to the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2006
On 8 November 2012 the Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2006 will change. The amended regulations will set out the rights of EEA nationals and their family members to enter and reside in the UK and will also confirm the criteria for rights to permanent residence.
25 October 2012
Immigration Alert: Accession of Croatia to the European Union
The UK Border Agency (UKBA) has announced that it is expected that Croatia will join the European Union (EU) on 1 July 2013. It has stated its commitment to applying transitional restrictions on labour market access to nationals of any future Member States of the EU as a matter of course and therefore restrictions will be applied to nationals of Croatia. On 18 October 2012 it published a Statement of Intent with regard to the transitional arrangements which are proposed governing Croatian nationals’ access to the labour market.
25 September 2012
New UKBA backlog causing economic damage - employers held to ransom
British businesses wanting to sponsor key individuals to come to the UK to help grow or develop their businesses are being thwarted by the excessive length of time it takes the UKBA to process Tier 2 sponsor registration applications at present. Businesses with the potential to lead the UK's economic recovery are facing major delays with their sponsor licence applications, meaning they cannot bring in the people they need when they need them. Plans for expansion in the UK market are having to be put on hold while the administrative process of obtaining a sponsor licence runs its ever lengthier course.
21 September 2012
Immigration Alert: Delays at Immigration Control When Travelling Without a Biometric Residence Card
Where migrants have recently obtained a visa or visa extension in the UK, the new visa will be endorsed on a Biometric Residence Card (BRP). This has been the case since BRPs were introduced in early 2010. It is not advisable for migrants to undertake travel following the visa approval until they have received their BRP, which usually follows within 5 days of confirmation of the visa approval. Unfortunately, systems used by immigration officials at the ports are not immediately synchronised with those in use by the BRP team. This has led to migrants being delayed at immigration control for up to 2 hours if they travel without the BRP, so that checks can be undertaken.
2 August 2012
Immigration Alert: Sponsor Licence Renewals
Those Sponsors who obtained their Sponsor Licence immediately following the introduction of the Points Based System in November 2008, will now be receiving notifications from the UK Border Agency (UKBA) regarding the renewal process. The emails will come from no-reply@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk and will be addressed to the Level 1 user. Occasionally these emails go into the spam folder and so this should be checked regularly. A further notification will be sent to Sponsors 3 months prior to the expiry date when the renewal function will be activated on the Sponsor Management System (SMS). No documentation will need to be submitted with the application but Sponsors should be prepared to submit any documents which are subsequently requested by the UKBA within 7 days and they may undertake a compliance visit.